Safety-pocket



(No Monle l.) 2Sheets-Sheet 1. J. M. HUNTER.

SAFETY POCKET.

Patented Mar.'20, 1883.

INVENTOR:

.By his flttorneys,

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J. M. HUNTER.

SAFETY POCKET.

Patented Mar.20,1883.

INVENTOR: 7%. m

By his .Alttarneqs,

WITNESSES:

Trice.

PATENT Joann. HUNTER, or MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY- POCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,122, dated March 20, 1883.

Application filed October 15, 1881. Renewed August 19, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l. J OHN MORRISON HUNT- ER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Morristown, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented certain'lmprovements in Safety Pockets or Bags, of which the following is 'a specification.

My invention relates, in part, to improvements upon the construction of the safetymouth of a pocket or bag embodied in myPatent No. 217,222, dated July 8, 1879, and partly to the attachment of a bag having such asafety-mouthto a garment to form a detachable pocket therefor.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of one of the front breadths of a vest provided with my detachable safetypocket. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged vertical sections out along the line 2 3 in Fig. 1, Fig.

2 showing the pocket empty, and Fig. 3 show-' ing a watch in it. Fig. 4 is a dissected rear view of the safety attachment for the mouth of the pocket. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the spring usedtherein. Fig. 6 is a plan thereof. Fig. 7 is a crosssection thereof out along the line 7 7 in Figs. 5 and 6. FigdS is a view of another form of pocket. Fig; 9 is a plan of a modified spring. Fig. 10 is a rear elevation thereof, and Fig. 11 is a like view of the same covered.

I will first describe the construction of the safety attachment for the month of 'a bag or pocket, referring for that purpose to Figs..4= to 7. a

Generally speaking, the safety attachment A consists of two bands, 13 and G, joined together at their ends, one of them, B, inc-losing,

a leaf-spring, a, which is preferably curved or bowed, and the other, 0, being made of flexible material and stretched over the convex side of the bowed spring-band B. When finished and connected together, they form the attachment shownin Fig. 4, it being only necessary to place it in the mouth of the pocket D, with the concave side toward the body of the wearer, and to sew each band to its side of the mouth of the pocket, to prepare it for use. In some cases- 21s of a bag that is not a pocket-the spring a may be straight instead of bowed.

The springer is best shownin Figs. 5, 6, and

I. It is a straight flat strip of elastic metal or other suitable material, formed with two diagonal bends, c c, and preferably curved, as 7 shown, and having an eyelet-hole, b, punched through each end. In some cases I apply to the spring a a fin ger-piece, d, which consists of a piece or plate of some material, preferably elastic metal, which is connected to the spring a at or near the center thereof, so as to project from one edge thereof, as shown best in Fig. 7. Any good method may be employed for attaching the piece (Z to the spring a; but I prefer to simply bend it around the latter, as shown, this being the simplest method, and it secures the entire elasticity of the fingerpiece.

The spring ais wrapped or covered to form the spring-band B. Its covering 6 consists of some flexible material, preferably thin leather or some durable textile fabric, as linen or en ameled cloth. 1!; is preferably lined either with paper or some thintextile fabric, as linen. This covering is best made in long strips and cut off to the same length as the springs to. Paste or cement is then applied to the back or lined side of one piece, the spring a is laid on it with its convex side toward it, the lower edge of the lining is folded up over the spring, and its upper edge is turned down to meet the lower folded edge, whereby a band is formed having the spring inclosed alongits lower edge, and having a flexible upper edge, as shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 2 and 3 show the same in section across the finger plates 01, which extends up into said flexible portion of the band and stiffens it at that point. The band C is made in a similar manner to the covering 0, and is preferably of thin leather or other material, f, inclosing a band of some strong flexible inelastic material to keep it from stretching. This band may be a lining preferably of strong thin 1iuen,or it may be a strip, g, ofstrong flexiblesheet metal, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In case metal is used I prefer to still line theleather covering with linen or other fabric. The flexible strip 9 is laid on the lined and pasted stripf, and the latter is folded over the former at both edges, its edges coming together at the center ofone side.

The band 0 thus formed is made in long strips and afterward out up. into the desired lengths IOO tachment sewed 'into its mouth.

for use, the ends of the cut pieces being trimmed, as indicated in Fig. 4. The two bands B 0 having been thus prepared, they are placed together, the band 0 against the convex side of the band B, care being taken that the seams or pasted edges shallbe turned outwardly, the projecting ends of the band C are folded over the ends oftheband B, a hole is punched at such end through both bands, coinciding with the holes I), already punched in the spring a, and an eyelet, h, is put through each of said holes, thus securely fastening the'two hands together and completing the safetymouth attachment A.

Fig. 8 shows a large pocket, D, with this at- This pocket is designed especially for legal papers, &c., and since, for convenience of use, its mouth is inclined, I form its rear side with a curved projection, m, from which it descends in an inclined line to the bottom, thus serving to properly direct the entering papers to the bottom of the pocket.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is shown my removable safety-pocket, which is designed most particularly for summer-vests, known as white .vests, capable of being washed, although applicable also to other articles of clothing.

E is a portion of the test viewed from the rear or inner side in Fig. 1, and D is the pocket, which is a mere bag-of the shape shown, or any desired shape, provided at its mouth with my safety attachment A. This bag or pocket is considerably wider just at its mouth than it is immediately below, so that both ends of the attachment Aproject beyond the general line of the pocket at each side. The vest is formedwith a slit or opening, 70, through it, through which the pocket Dis thrust, the attachment A being above said slit, and the flexible portion of the pocket being below said slit and on the inside of the vest. The slit k joins at each end a short vertical slit, k, and by the three slits the free flap 1 is formed, its corners being confined by tapes 1) p, which are fastened to the flap rand to the vest below the slit k. The projecting ends'of the attachment A are stuck through the opposite tapes 1) p, and the pocket is thereby secured to the vest. To conceal the portion of the pocket which is in front of the flap r, a strip of cloth, 8, is sewed, as usual, to the front of the vest, its bottom edge being stitched to the lower edge of the slitk, and its ends being stitched to the outer edges of the slits 7070. This gives the usualneatflnish to the garment. As an additional fastening for the pocket, I attach a button, 0, to its front and back against the mouth attachment, and form coinciding button-holes in the flap r and strip 8 of the vest.v To remove the pocket when the vest is to be washed, these buttons are first disengaged from the button-holes, the mouth attachmentA of the pocket is bent slightly, and its ends are slipped under the tapes 19 10.

The pocket shown in Fig. 3 is especially designed for use as a watch-pocket, and is formed with inclined sides t t, which cause the watch to gravitate into the deepest por-' tion a ofthe pocket, directly under the center of the spring a. The object of the peculiar formation of that spring may now be made clear. The watch at u standsjust under the bandsc a, (see Fig. 1,) so that it pulled upward by its chain, asin case of an attempt to pick the pocket, as shown in Fig. 3, it catches against the lower edge of the spring a, which of the'watch is rendered easy; but in an attempt to pull itoutthespringis certain to catch it. The watch is easiest inserted at the righthand portion of the pocket in Figs. 1 and 4, the second bend a there concaving the spring, so that a greater space is left between its upper edge and the band than elsewhere. In Fig. 9 the spring is shown simply flared at its lower edge, instead of formed with bends c 0- a construction less desirable for a watch pocket, but which may be used for a change-pocket and other purposes. When the wearer desires to draw out his watch, he opens the mouth of the pocket by pressing the spring and band apart with his fingers. The finger-piece d tacilitates this operation, enabling him to get a better hold of the spring-band B by stiffening the latter above the spring. The finger-piece has just sufficient stiflness to enable it, when pressed back, to cant the spring far enough to facilitate the opening of the mouth of the 7 pocket. Two finger-pieces may be used, as

shown in Figs. 9 to 11, or three 'or more may be employed. In order to fully utilize the elasticity of the finger-pieces, it is best not to cement the covering 0 to them, but to slit it each-side of them, as shown in Fig. 11, the portion between the slits being unpasted and folded down as a free flap. The principal object of the finger piece or pieces is to keep the upper portion of the mouth of the pocket from I flaring open, and so to give the garment a neat appearance.

In my previous patent I have shown a pocket the upper portion or edge of the spring-band B,

as in my previous patent, thereby forming a space or recess between the pocket and the spring, 1 now attach it to the lower portion thereof, at or just above its lower edge, as shown, thus dispensing with said recess, and causing the pocket to. hang freely from the. mouth attachment, so that the weight of its contentstends to close the mouth.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, to form a safety attachment for the mouth of a pocket or bag, of a band, C, and a spring-baud, B, the two attached together at their ends, and the band B containing a spring, a, which is bent or flared with the middle of its bottom edge toward the band C, substantially. as set forth.

2. The combination of spring a, bent at c c, with its covering 6, and with the band 0, sub.- stantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with band C, of spring a and linger'piece d, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with band '0, of spring a, elastic finger-piece d, connected to a spring by being bent around it, and covering 0, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of bowed spring-band B, band C, stretched over the convex side thereof and fixed thereto at its ends, and pocket or bag D, attached to or near the lower edge of. the piece B and to the piece 0, substantially as set forth.

' 6. The combination of bowed spring-band B, band C, stretched over theconvex side thereof and fastened to the ends thereof, and bag D, of metallic chain fabric, fixed to and depending from said band, substantially as set forth.

7. A detachable pocket consisting of a bag, D, in combination with bands B and (J, the former containing a bowed spring, and the latter being a flexible band stretched over the convex side thereof and. fastened thereto at its ends, the two bands fixed to the mouth of the bag D and projecting beyond the bag at both ends, whereby, bythe engagement of the projecting ends with provisions on a garment, the pocket may be connected removably thereto, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of a garment having a pocket-opening and tapes p p, of a pocket consisting of a bag, D, and stiffened mouth attachment A, projecting beyond the bag at both ends, and its projecting ends adapted to enter under the tapes 1) 10, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of stiffened mouth attachnient A, bag D, fixed thereto, and buttons 0 0 on said attachment, with a garment provided with a pocket'opening to receive said bag, and with button-holes coinciding with said buttons, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN MORRISON HUNTER.

Witnesses:

, ARTHUR O. FRASER,

HENRY OONNETT. 

